| Contents |
Preface -- The life of Corelli -- Corelli's work. The Trios, Opus I to IV [op. 1, 2, 3, 4] ; The Sonatas for Violin and Bass, Opus V [op. 5] ; The Concerti Grossi, Opus VI [op. 6] -- Corelli's influence -- Conclusion. |
| Abstract |
The subject here is Arcangelo Corelli, one of the dominant figures of seventeenth-century Italian Baroque music. Corelli, the author writes, was the link between two musical epochs, "the counterpoint of the seventeenth century and the melodic emancipation of the eighteenth," and his achievement was to bring to full development the innovations of the earlier part of the century. Corelli's genius as a composer was in "a constant perfection, a voluntary moderation, and an exemplary sense of proportion," and as a virtuoso, in a classicism of performance to which all violin schools have since referred. In the first part of this book, the author writes on Corelli's life as man and artist; in the second, he discusses Corelli's work, analyzing in detail the trios (Opus I to IV), the sonatas for violin and bass (opus V), and the concerti grossi (opus VI). Finally, he summarizes Corelli's contributions to musical forms and techniques, and assesses his influence on Italian and German composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. |
